Lacrosse, swim programs in danger at O’Fallon Township High School

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O’FALLON, IL (KTVI) – Years of financial stress have resulted in the lacrosse and swim team programs being put on the chopping block at O’Fallon Township High School.

According to Superintendent Darcy Benway, O’Fallon Township has been in a budget deficit eight years. She said a lot of factors on the state and local level have put the school in this position.

In a presentation to the school board, Benway said if the board chooses to not do anything about the budget deficit then the school will be out of cash to operate by 2021.

At present, the school board is trying to come up with a way to save one million dollars from their budget next year.

One way they could do that is by cutting the boys’ and girls’ lacrosse and swim teams. Benway said these teams were chosen because they are the ones that most other schools in the area don’t have.

Kerry Barbour has a daughter on the lacrosse team. Her husband is in the military and was transferred to Kansas, but the family decided to stay in O’Fallon so her daughter could continue to play lacrosse with her team. She said a lot of students would be devastated to lose these sports.

Benway said they have been making cuts in other places for years and teachers have frozen their salaries multiple times. She said no decision has been made at this time.